Torque

There's not really more torque in the body with the open stance. With a square stance you try to get a full shoulder turn while the hips turn only enough to allow a full shoulder turn. If the hips turn too much ("collapse") less tension is created between upper and lower body. With an open stance you don't have to concern yourself with hips turning too much, ie, when you start with hips open, they can only close to about square with a full shoulder turn. This seems to virtually guarantee maximum tension between upper and lower body, ie, no worry of hips collapsing. However, some people do have trouble getting a full shoulder turn when they start with hips open. SD